Ford has decided to take up its option to buy the Rover brand name for an undisclosed sum.

BMW, Rover’s former owner, has been in talks with several companies, including its current owner Nanjing Automobile, about selling the brand name.

Ford retained its option to buy the Rover trademark after a deal which saw it acquire Land Rover in 2000.

Ford has said it was of interest to its Land Rover business to buy the name, but was not ready to reveal what it was going to do with it.

This announcement throws Nanjing’s future plans into uncertainty, as the Rover name would have given its cars some brand credibility when production starts in March.